Summer in Storybrooke (temp title)
by Raeinspace
Summary: AU (no magic). Eventual SwanQueen set at a camp just outside Storybrooke. Henry is ill so Cora sends young Regina to summer camp. There she meets young Emma Swan, who is having a holiday for the first time in her young life.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own OUAT, etc…

 **AN: First chapter's a little longer than usual (nearly 2k). Not to spoil anything but the story did get a little carried away in the third part and the characters felt a little different from how they started – I may have to re-evaluate their ages. Let me know what you think…**

* * *

Regina looked forward to the summer holidays more than anything, maybe even Christmas. The break from school was longer, so she had more time to spend with her father and beloved horse. With her mother always busy at work - running Storybrooke was a full-time job – the strict rules about finishing homework and not staying out late became more flexible. As the boss of the family company, Henry could take off as much time as he wished – with the odd evening of working from home, checking his emails to make sure there were no upcoming disasters. When Regina was younger, Cora had accepted this arrangement, preferring it to hiring babysitters for her daughter. Now it had become part of a family tradition, and she allowed herself one week to spend with them – usually a short holiday not too far away, just in case of a work emergency.

The first day of the holidays had perfect weather. Regina and her father packed a picnic and took their horses for a long ride, only just returning home before Cora. They began planning the rest of the break, taking into account the days when Cora had late meetings for longer excursions. On the second day disaster struck.

Regina woke to strange voices and strange noises in the house. A few minutes later, her mother came into her room telling her to get dressed. An ambulance was downstairs, it was taking her father to hospital and she had to hurry so they could follow him. That was all the information Cora shared and panicking, imagining all of the worst possible scenarios, Regina grabbed the first clothes she found.

* * *

According to the timetable, the bus would only make one stop in Storybrooke each day. Having seen the size of the town on a map, Emma wasn't surprised. There wasn't room for the name on the map, she only had a rough idea of its location from the index, which listed the page number and the square where it could be found: G7.

As soon as they passed the sign welcoming them to Storybrooke, she packed away the wrapper from her half-eaten lunch and checked that nothing had rolled from her bag under the seats. It wasn't long before the bus pulled to a halt and Emma was the only one standing to leave. The driver switched off the engine, prepared to get any luggage stored in the bus, but she explained she had everything and thanked him. Everything she needed was in her backpack on her shoulders and the duffle bag in her hands.

Standing on the pavement, opposite a quaint-looking diner, Emma reached into the pocket of her over-sized jacket and took out the leaflet. The camp name was emblazoned on the front, a large group picture of smiling children just below. Flipping it over she scanned down the list of directions for getting to the camp – by car, rail, or bus. At the very bottom, she had scrawled the additional instructions provided by the camp administrator via telephone. The camp's private transport – she was expecting an outdated bus – would collect her and a group of other children from the town at 2pm sharp. Emma checked her watch; she had an hour wait. That was okay, she could ask at the diner for directions to the pick-up location and spend the rest of the time with a nice cup of hot chocolate, something easily within her budget.

There were three families in the diner, and a group of older men, Emma saw them out of the corners of her eyes as she headed to the counter. A young waitress smiled as she took Emma's order, and the blonde dropped the duffel bag between her legs and the counter so she would know if anyone tried to grab it. She dumped the backpack on top of the counter, opening up the inner pocket to search for some money.

"You travelling alone?" the waitress asked when she returned.

"No, my parents dropped me off but they had to get back to work so I promised to wait in here for the bus," Emma lied easily, her story one she had practiced, and showed her the camp leaflet as she handed over the coins for her drink. "Do you know how far the collection point is?"

"Sure, at the school," the waitress reeled off some instructions. "You'll love it there. I used to go every summer, volunteered last year cos I was too old to go back. If I didn't have to help Granny I woulda gone back this year."

"Thanks," Emma smiled, hoping the waitress would leave so she could enjoy her drink in peace.

It wasn't her lucky day. The waitress, who introduced herself as Ruby, leaned against the counter to regale her with wild tales of her youth spent at the camp. She tried to be polite and listen, draining the cup of hot chocolate as quickly as she dared.

* * *

 _Five days later…_

Gravel crunched under the tyres of the immaculately clean car as it rolled slowly through the gates of the camp. It pulled up outside the first building, and as the driver opened her door, Regina could hear the distant laughter of the other children.

"Thank you," Regina muttered as the chauffeur took out her luggage and placed it on the ground.

"If you would like to wait here, I'll try to find one of the adults in charge," he told her.

"I think I'll be fine," Regina raised the handle on the large suitcase, and balanced her handbag on top.

"Your mother's instructions…"

"Very well," Regina rocked back on her heels, her hands still holding onto the suitcase.

She looked away, towards the sounds of laughter, allowing the man to leave. He knocked on the first wooden door, waited for a few seconds before trying to open it, found it locked and then went to try another. When she finally turned around, he was out of sight. She closed her eyes against the tears threatening to appear, taking deep breaths and trying to count to ten the way her mother had taught her. Crying was a sign of weakness. It let people know they could hurt you.

"Gonna make a run for it?" a young, female voice asked.

Regina opened her eyes and turned slowly, trying to tell where it had come from. She couldn't see anyone else.

"Up here," the voice came again.

Tilting her head up, and turning around a second time, Regina spotted a pair of skinny legs dangling from a tree branch. The scruffy, worn trainers lifted up and the legs disappeared into the leaves. A few seconds later a young girl with blonde hair dropped to the ground at the base of the tree.

She fist pumped the air, "perfect landing, once again."

Regina couldn't help but smile, "do you jump out of trees often?"

"Windows, yes. Trees, not so much. Not many trees to climb back home, but since I've been here I figured why not?"

Regina looked at the girl's clothes, "won't your parents be upset when they see all those tears and the dirt stains?"

"Duh, this is camp. We're expected to damage our clothes, that's why all the stuff I brought is old - it doesn't matter if I have to throw them away instead of taking 'em home with me," the blonde walked confidently over to her, holding out a hand, "I'm Emma, by the way."

"Regina," she paused looking down at the mud-streaked fingers, but when she looked back into the smiling face of the other girl she forgot all her mothers nagging about dirt and shook hands.

"So… princess…" Emma's eyes widened as she took in the fancy, branded suitcase next to the other girl, "why've you come so late?"

"Oh, it was just a last-minute decision. My mother's going to be busy with work, but I didn't want to go too far away from home, so…"

"Well, let's get you settled in. Do you know where you're supposed to be?" Emma grabbed the suitcase handle in her right hand, and slipped her left arm through Regina's right. "Everyone's down by the lake right now, but I know my way around. Did they give you a cabin name?"

"No, I don't think so, but…"

"Well we've got a spare bunk in ours if you want. Most of the others are pretty much full up by now."

"Shouldn't I wait…" Regina tried pointing in the direction the driver had disappeared, but she wasn't sure where he was any longer.

"Don't sweat it, we're supposed to be learning to be self-sufficient around here and you look like a nice kid so I think you'll like our gang."

"Gang?"

"Yeah, Belle – she's a quiet bookworm type, Lily – the wild-child, and me! We've actually got beds for three more people, but it's kinda cramped in there so we just use them for our stuff," while she was talking, Emma continued to drag Regina towards one of the further-out cabins.

"Don't the adults decide where we sleep?"

"They'll assign new kids to the spare beds, but according to Lily if you've been before you can request a cabin with at least one friend – assuming they request to share with you - and that way you get to know new people and spend time with old friends. We're lucky, the cabin's one of the furthest from the adults and there's only one other girls cabin between us and the boys."

"Oh, I don't think my mother…" Regina vainly tried digging her heels into the ground, but Emma was stronger and determined to keep going.

"Don't worry, they're good guys. You just have to know how to handle them. They know not to mess with Lily, she's got the mind of an evil genius when it comes to revenge and some of the stories I've heard about her from last year… here we are!"

Regina nearly bumped into Emma when she stopped so suddenly. The blonde released her arm, passed her the small handbag and began heaving the suitcase up the stairs to the cabin.

"Emma are you sure…?"

"There," Emma smiled as she reached the door and held it open for Regina. "Come on in."

Regina took a look around, but as there were still no adults in sight, she allowed Emma's kidnapping of her to continue. There was something about the blonde that made it hard for her to say no.

The cabin was small and looked a little less rustic than the outside suggested – Regina smiled in relief as Emma gave her the five-minute tour and found that they had their own small bathroom.

"This one is just for us, and I should probably warn you the hot water goes fast so make sure you get in there before Lily," Emma explained. "There're two larger ones in the main part of the camp, one for guys and one for the girls. We mostly only use them when we're out and about, but some of the other cabins have more kids in them so they'll go to those if their own ones get busy."

"Where do we keep our clothes?" Regina asked, looking at the photos and posters stuck to the walls.

Emma showed her, "we're got one top bunk and two bottom ones. What would you prefer?"

"I don't mind."

"Well, if you don't have a problem with heights, take the top. That way we're both up high and can talk easier. Lily's up top too. Belle prefers the lower bunk to be closer to her books, so if you take the bottom she'll keep you awake with the light from her torch. Do you want to unpack now, or…?"

"Shouldn't we find the grown-ups?"

"Right-o. Follow me," Emma headed over to the cabin door and held it open.

Regina stepped out into the fresh air, feeling very different from when she had first arrived.


	2. Chapter 2

"Miss Mills… Miss Mills….?"

Regina recognised the driver's voice, and she picked up her pace to let him know where she was. He was standing beside the car, another adult in shorts and a t-shirt standing next to him, calling to her again.

"I'm here," she alerted him to her presence when she was close enough that she didn't have to shout.

"Where have you been?"

Emma stepped forward, "sorry, that was my fault. I thought I'd show her the cabins so she could dump her bag instead of waiting."

"Miss Mills you were told to wait here, what if…"

"I am fine. Have they agreed to my requests?"

Emma raised an eyebrow at the suddenly grown-up voice coming from the young girl. She didn't look like the scared little rabbit-creature who had stood here not so long ago. The camp employee, a woman Emma had only seen during mealtimes, smiled at Regina and nodded.

"Of course, your mother's letter explained the situation and…"

"Thank you," Regina smiled politely in return. "I have left my travel case in Emma's cabin, would it be possible to get my other suitcases from the car so I can begin unpacking?"

"Oh, Miss Mills we have you placed in a different cabin, one…" the woman paused as she looked at the blonde girl, then back to the brunette, "well, your mother suggested…"

Emma suddenly knew exactly what she meant. She frowned, but bit her tongue rather than cause any trouble. Of course the new girl would consider her 'unsuitable' as a friend. You just had to look at the shiny new car, un-scuffed shoes… Regina was meant to end up part of the 'princess squad' the group of spoiled rich kids in the newest cabins who walked around as if they owned the whole place. The girl had even mentioned 'suitcases' – the plural! – still in the car, despite the heavy bag she'd already taken to the cabin. How much stuff did someone need for a couple of weeks at camp anyway?

"That's okay, I'll get her bag," she offered.

It was a shame. She was always running off on adventures with Lily, leaving Belle alone. The new girl looked like the quiet type, she could have kept Belle company and evened out their little group.

"No, I want to stay with Emma," Regina raised her chin to stare at the adults. "She has plenty of room in her cabin."

"But…"

"And besides, I would like to sleep in the top bunk – is there one available in that other cabin?"

"I'm not sure…"

"That settles it then, assuming Emma's other friends don't mind me sharing with them." She turned to the driver, "if you'll follow me with the bags, I think I know my way back."

The driver looked at the camp employee as if for instructions, but she just shrugged.

"Wonderful, what time is lunch served?" Regina asked turning to Emma for an answer.

"Uh…" the blonde was lost for words.

"Well, never mind, perhaps you could help me unpack and then finish the tour?"

Emma nodded, "sure."

* * *

Regina closed the last empty suitcase and slid it into the storage space Emma had shown her. The blonde was sitting on one of the empty beds, flicking through the pages of one of the novels Regina had brought with her, lost in the words. She felt a little bad for the way she had spoken to the driver, he had been with the family for years but clearly followed her mothers instructions when given them. Luckily Cora had been too distracted to give clear directions on Regina's accommodation, or the driver just assumed Regina had her mothers permission to choose her own, so he had departed with instructions to relay the simple message that she was fine and settling into the camp, etc. The more vague the message, the less her mother would have to pick up on.

When they returned to the cabin, and after the driver had gone, Emma had joked about the way the adults had acted, asking what her mother did that had them so wound up.

"She's not in the mafia, is she? Or some kind of celebrity?"

"No, she just works in the mayor's office," Regina hedged the truth.

Admitting her mother was the Mayor of Storybrooke didn't seem like the best way to make friends. Though it was possible there were children from the town staying at the camp, she rarely mixed with them when she came home from boarding school. Emma had seemed surprised when of the three suitcases only one had contained clothes.

"Okay, you are officially the only person to have brought more books to camp than Belle, and you have this new one by my favourite author that I've just been dying to read – please say I can borrow it before her? I'm on the local library's waiting list, but…"

"Here," Regina passed the book to her, "take it now. I didn't realise how little space I'd have when I packed."

"What did you do? Empty your entire room into the suitcases?"

"No, I wasn't sure what to expect and my mother only oversaw the packing of my clothes so I added the other two after she left for work. Johanna insisted I bring some of her homemade cookies; then kept bringing up other snacks as she went through the cupboards, which filled one bag before I had a chance to choose a few books. Of course, like Belle I wanted to bring a torch and then there were the spare batteries and some paper just in case it rains and we get stuck inside."

"They have art and craft stuff here."

"I know, I read the brochure, but I can keep mine in the cabin…"

Emma smiled.

"What?" Regina asked defensively. "How many suitcases did you bring?"

Walking over to the storage space, Emma picked up her empty duffel to show Regina, "all my stuff fits into this, and my backpack."

Regina was staring at Emma in amazement when the cabin door opened and two other girls entered. Emma dropped her bag and quickly went to make the introductions.

The other girls smiled politely at Regina as they wandered over, Belle's eyes widening as Emma pointed out Regina's book collection. With a little prompting from Emma, Regina told the girls a little about herself and as she opened up she began to relax. By the time a camp counsellor returned to make sure Regina was settling in, the four girls were sitting on one of the empty bottom bunks enjoying Johanna's cookies.

"Girls, you know lunch will be ready soon," she smiled and shook her head at the crumbs. "Tidy up then come and show Regina where we eat."

"Yes, Kathryn," Lily grinned and popped another cookie into her mouth.


	3. Chapter 3

The dining hall was a lot larger than Regina had expected. At school the pupils collected their meals, sat down with their classmates and ate in whispered silence. She stood in the doorway while the others continued inside, a little afraid of the sheer chaos ahead. People wandered between tables, eating off their trays as they moved, yelling at their different friends and enemies. She saw one boy toss an orange to a table of girls, who all cheered when one of them caught it without rising from her seat. This was not the organised dining experience she was used to.

"Come on, before all the good stuff is gone."

Regina recognised Emma's voice, turning around as the other girl grabbed her arm and pulled her into the queue, "is it always like this?"

"Breakfast's quieter, especially if we've had a late night around the campfire or something. The others meals depend on the weather. When it's sunny the different activities can run late so you get less people in at the same time. By dinner we're so hungry we don't care what we eat, so long as we get something – that's when everyone's impatient in the queue, but don't worry there're plenty of seats." Emma walked up the line to stand by Lily and Belle, "found her."

"No cutting!" a boy complained, standing behind Belle.

"We're not, they were saving our places. Regina's new, Kathryn said to show her around so there."

The boy opened his mouth to say something else, but Lily stepped forwards and whispered in his ear. Regina couldn't catch the words, however the boy laughed and nodded.

"So, do you have any food allergies? Any dietary requirements?" Belle asked.

"She's a vegetarian," Lily explained to Regina. "As of yesterday, so we don't know how long it will last."

"Hey! That's not fair, I'll have you know that I am very serious about this."

"The same way you were serious about learning a musical instrument, or whittling… ow!"

Emma had punched her upper arm – gently – because she could see how upset the conversation was making Belle.

"She goes through fads, you know?" Lily finished, poking her tongue out at Emma.

With the conversation dropped, and the line only shuffling forward, Regina looked around, "do we have an assigned table?"

"They try to assign us on day one, but by now it's on a first come first served basis," Belle explained. "It's like this every year."

"How long have you been coming to camp?"

"Since I was eight, my brothers used to come and I begged my parents to let me come too. They prefer you to start at ten here, but my dad didn't realise and my brothers altered the application form for me, so I got in."

"It's always the quiet ones with criminal tendencies," Emma winked at Regina.

* * *

For the first time since she had arrived at the camp, it was finally quiet. Regina smiled in relief as she lay in her bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. The other girls were all asleep; at least one of her roommates had begun gently snoring. She wondered how her father was doing. She had waited patiently all day for a phone call from her mother, under strict instructions not to bother the hospital staff with requests for updates. Clearly Cora was too busy with work. In the morning she would see if one of the staff here would let her make a call. Kathryn seemed nice; she would try her first.

"Hey, Regina. You awake?" Emma whispered.

Regina smiled as she recognised her voice, "yeah."

A second later she heard Emma moving and then a torch was switched on, the light aimed at the wall between them as Emma turned around. Regina rolled onto her stomach to face the blonde girl.

"So, did you like your first day here?" Emma moved the light to see Regina's reaction.

"Yes."

"Is everything alright? You seemed a little quiet after dinner, you can tell me if you're homesick."

"It's not that… I mean Storybrooke is my home so I'm not exactly away from it, I could probably cycle home if I wanted to."

"There's a difference between being home in the same town and being in the same house. It's okay to miss your parents, or your pets, or… did you say you had servants? Like maids and butlers?"

"No. My mother hired Johanna to look after me when I was growing up, now that I'm a teenager she just helps keep the house tidy and cooks when my parents are home late."

"So just the one servant."

Regina smiled, "yes."

"I promise we'll keep you so busy here you won't have time to be homesick. Tomorrow we'll all go down to the lake. Can you swim?"

Regina nodded, "a little. My father used to take me for lessons."

"Great."

"Shouldn't we go to sleep? Would the others be upset if we wake them? What if someone comes to check on us?"

"They won't, not if we keep whispering. The counsellors wander around outside, but as long as we don't make too much noise they won't hear us."

"Oh, okay. Emma?"

She wanted to ask Emma about herself, to show an interest in the other girl after her own attempts to be friendly, but she wasn't sure where to begin.

"Yeah?"

Regina thought for a moment before settling for a few mundane questions, which Emma happily answered, about school and where she lived. She wasn't sure how long they talked, but eventually her eyelids grew heavy and Emma was trying to smother a yawn so she suggested going to sleep.

She smiled as Emma reached across the space between their beds, holding out her hand and Regina quickly placed her own on top.

"Goodnight Emma."

"'Night, Regina."

The hands were withdrawn and the light switched off. This time, both girls fell quickly asleep.

* * *

 **AN: A little short chapter, I know, but I wasn't sure how else to fill this out.**


End file.
